Article by Commissioner of Education Earl James McGrath, Vocational Education and National Welfare

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VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND NATIONAL WELFARE* No one who re-examines the structure of education in this country in the light of the international situation can fail to recognize the overriding importance of vocational education. Our long-term mobiliza- tion-for-defense program envisages an economy capable of supporting a substantial armed force without sacrificing our normal living standards. American industrial strength rests now and will rest in the future largely on the skill of its workers and their ability to maintain a high level of productive capacity. As this capacity increases, and the processes of production and business become more complex, a larger and larger number of jobs must be filled with workers possessing special skills. All this underscores the urgent necessity of strengthening the present system of vocational education in our public schools. In the training of defense workers during World War II, vocational schools demonstrated how magnificently they were able to meet the demands of a great national crisis. In the present crisis, with inadequate funds at their disposal, they are doing a yeoman's job. And, certainly, one could ask for no more solid foundation to build on than the accumulated knowledge and experience of our state boards for vocational education. But the case for a more comprehensive and complete development of vocational education does not rest simply on the requirements of *By Earl J. McGrath, U. S. Commissioner of Education, Federal Security Agency, Washington, D.C., published in January 1952 issue of American Vocational Journal, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 3 and 4. Published in the Pennsylvania Vocational Education News, Erie and Scotland, Penn. , December 1952.